Skiascope-optometer.



No. 678,435. Pafented July l6, 19m.

o NEUSTATTEB SKIASGOPE OPTUMETER. (Application filed May 12, 1898.)

(No ilodal.)

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' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

OTTO NEUSTATTER, OF MUNICH, GERMANY, ASSIGNOR TO EMlIi NEUSTATTER, OF SAME PLACE.

SKlASCOPE-OPTOMETER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 678,435, dated July 16, 1901.

Application filed May 12, 1898.

certain new and useful Improvements in Skia-' scope-Optometers, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention concerns a new instrument called a skiascope-optometer, the object of which is both the subjective and objective determination of the refraction, including astigmatism and its meridian. This instrument has the advantage of being a combination of optometer and skiascope, constructed very simply and plainly and so that either as skiascope or as optometer it is superior by special merits to the devices used for either purpose up to date. It allows the lenses to be placed exactly before the eyes of the patient by the operator himself, so adding to the advantages of an optometer those of the trial-set lenses. This same quality also gives to it a superiority over others as a skiascope. The lenses can be combined and interchanged in any .way desired, the distance between patient and operator need not to be altered, and the single lenses can easily be replaced.

In the annexed drawings a form of construction of this apparatus is given by way of example.

Figure 1 shows a front view of the instrument. Fig. 2 is a side view of same. Fig. 3 is a transverse section showing the arms kept fixed by the rods. Fig. 4 shows the same section as Fig. 3, but the arms freed from the rods. Fig. 5 is a broken view showing the position of the ophthalmoscope in use. Fig. 6 is a broken front View of the same instrument as the preceding, but arranged for cylindrical glasses. Fig. 7 is a transverse section on the line 7 7 of Fig. 6 through the axis of one of the arms of the instrument shown in Fig. 6. Fig.8 is a detail showing, on an enlarged scale, the method of securing the adjusting-rods to the supporting-rod. Fig. 8 is a similar detail showing said rods detached.

' The skiascope-optomet-er shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3, and i is composed of a cylindrical support-rod H, upon which cylindrical sockets Serial No. 6 80,509. (No model.)

B are slipped, which can be turned independently of one another and are provided with three arms A A A, bearing at their outer extremities suitable frames J, which may be circular or semi-oval or other appropriate forrn, intended to hold the numbered trial-lenses B. The rod H extends slightly beyond the top socket R, and a pin K passes transversely through its end to'hold the sockets on the rod. also provided at its lower end with a small horizontal rod 0, to the outer end of which two vertical rods S are pivoted. Between said rods the arms A are placed, and said rods are provided with spring-hooks W at their upper end, these hooks fitting into a corresponding cavity of the rod H, where they are held by a projection T on said rod. The lower part of the rod H bears over the handle b a graduated segment a, in the center of which a hand 1" is pivoted on an axle-pin cl. This arrangement is for use with an ophthalmoscope, as will presently be explained.

The trial-lenses are previously introduced into the lens-frames J of the sockets R in such a way that in every vertical series they are arranged according to their focus powers. Now the sockets must not rotate freely, as in such case the lenses of quite different numbers or powers might range one under the other, and so cause great disorder. On the other hand, the sockets must be allowed to rotate when the instrument is to be used as an optometer. Both these conditions are met by application of the rods S. If all the arms of one vertical series are inclosed between the rods S, the sockets cannot turn at all and the'instrument is ready to be used as a skiascope. If they are disengaged by detaching one of the rods S from the hook 10 at the upper extremity of H and swinging it outwardly and downwardly to allow the passage of the same, then bringing back the rod to its normalposition, the sockets cannot rotate any farther than the distance between two arms allows and'not so far that lenses of difierent series get mixed. It is in this latter shape that the instrument is to be used as an optometer. The glasses of the desired series are moved vertically upward or downward one after the other before the eye of the patient The latter or its handle is and, if necessary, approached and removed from it by turning to and fro the sockets till the patient has tried the eifect of the glass on his sight.

Should the instrument be employed as a skiascope, the arms of any of the series are left between the rods S and the instrument is moved as before while the operator is observing the change of shade vertically before the eye of the patient naturally without turning the sockets. In astigmatism the main meridians are not always the one horizontal and the other vertical. Thus, for instance, the temporal meridian may be at about thirty degrees with the vertical line. The other meridian is always at right angles with the former, and therefore in the supposed case is at sixty degrees to the nasal side. In the skiascoping operation the shadows move regularly in the eye onlyif the ophthalmoscope is moved about an axis which is either parallel or at right angles with said meridians. Said axis indicates, therefore, the direction of the meridians. The operator or physician holding the ophthalmoscope vertically before his eye and rotating said device in this position, then when the shadows travel precisely in the patients eye he knows that the meridians must be Vertical or horizontal in presence of astigmatism; but if the ophthalmoscope must be inclined say from the upper inside to the lower outsidethe meridians will be inclined accordingly. Now it must be possible to easily measure such inclinations, because if the physician holds the ophthalmoscope before his eye he does not know the numberof degrees measuring the inclination. To this end I have provided the dial a with its hand.

The ophthalmoscope (shown at o in Fig. 5) held in its inclination is placed with its central hole upon the axle-pin d, while the skiascope is held in a vertical position. Now the handle of the ophthalmoscope indicates a certain inclination, which is that of one meridian, the otherbeing at right angles therewith. The whole operation is made in a dark chamber, and instead of reading the number of degrees the hand 7' will be moved until it engages or coincides with the handle of the ophthalmoscope, remaining in this position unless readjusted, and thus enabling the number of degrees to be read later on. By adjusting two hands instead of one on the axle d it is possible to mark the inclination for both eyes without reading the number between the two operations.

For cylindrical glasses the same instrument may be used with a few modifications, (shown in Figs. 6 and 7,) intended especially to allow the lenses to rotate around their own axes simultaneously. If the instrument is fitted with circular frames, any cylindrical lens which is provided with two or three pins similar to those described hereinafter can be used, supposing that the frame has a suitable spring, like F, to hold the lenses, as shown in Fig. 6; but for preventing the lenses from falling out, which may happen by this Way of operating, it is better to form the rings serving to hold the glasses so that they can r0- tate. For this purpose at the extremity of the arms A there is fixed a fiat ring R. In this ring turns a smaller ring with broad outward rims r W, one of which, 1", is soldered to it and the other attached by screws. Upon both rims are fixed two or three pins q q (1 with rounded heads on each of them. These pins serve to retain the glasses, and for this purpose one of them, (1, engages a springblade F, pressing the glass against one of the others, q, to fix .it and to give a rotating point, which is executed for all glasses together by using the rod S in which'holes are made at intervals equal to the distance between the centers of'the adjacent glasses. 13y placingthe rod S with its holes over the pins of one series and giving a vertical movement to it the disks 1" W, as well as the glasses they bear, turn in the rings R, and so in every position the movement necessary for the inclination of the meridian of corresponding astigmatism can be given to all the glasses at once.

Having fully described my invention, what Iclaim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is 1. In an instrument of the character described, the combination of a rod provided with a handle, with independent'cylindrical rotatable sockets fitted on the rod and pro- Ivided with radiating arms terminated by frames adapted to hold the glasses, rods pivoted at the lower part of said rod and secured at their upper ends. I 2. In an instrument of the character described, the combination of a rod provided with a handle, independent, cylindrical, rotatable sockets arranged on said rod-and provided with radial arms arranged in series, glass-holding frames secured to said arms, means for preventing the independent rotation of the radial arms in a single series, a graduated segment secured to said rod, and one or more hands moving over the face of said segment and pivoted to the rod, substantially as described.

3. In an instrument of the character described, the combination of a rod provided with a suitable handle, independent, cylindrical rotatable sockets arranged on said'rod and provided with radial arms havingglassholding frames, series of glasses rotatably mounted in said frames and means for rota-ting the glasses in a single series, substantially as set forth.

OTTO NEUSTATTER.

Witnesses:

AUGUST HERZFELDER, SIEGFRIED LEVINGER. 

